• An example of a food chain in a rainforest is as follows: The sun provides energy (sunlight) to trees/plants which undergo photosynthesis, thus producing sugar (food). This is why trees and plants are called producers. An herbivore, such as a sloth eats leaves and flowers from a tree. A carnivore, such as a harpy eagle, eats the sloth.

• Note: This is just one of a billion food chains which exist in rainforests. You can use your own to illustrate the point.

• Food web: Discuss the wonderful messages in the book: The Great Kapok Tree and also the reality of what is happening to big trees currently: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0126-big_trees.html

• After reading, “The Great Kapok Tree,” by Lynne Cherry ask students to choose an animal of interest to them.

• Allow students time to create their own 8 ½ by 11 animal cards (use card stock) (see pdf) by researching what their animal eats and who eats them (predator).

• Note: Have students write this information on the back of their cards and either draw or print (paste) an image of their animal from www.mongabay on the front cover of their cards.

• Punch a hole at the top of the card and thread a piece of string.

• Students will ‘wear’ their cards for the following activity (picture facing forward so everyone can see).

Activity: (Have fun!)

• Ask three students or parents to volunteer to represent the sun, the Great Kapok tree, and a decomposer (mushroom)

• Give the sun a ball of yarn and have them say, “Who depends on me?” Everyone should say, “I do!” Specifically, the Great Kapok tree is the producer in this activity, so the yarn should thread from the sun to the tree (showing a connection between the two).

• The tree asks, “Who depends on me?” and again, everyone should say, “I do,” since all life depends on trees and the oxygen they provide. Specifically, the yarn should continue threading from the the sun, to the tree, and then to all of the herbivores and omnivores (plant eating animals). This threading from one student to the next is what will create a web.

• Then, all of the plant eating animals say, “Who depends on us?” The insectivores and carnivores should answer, “We do!” with every insectivore and carnivore receiving the yarn.

• Finally, an animal has died and says, “Who depends on me?” The decomposer receives the yarn and says, “I do!”

• Take the opportunity to discuss interconnected and interdependent; inter is a Latin root which means between or among. Thus, a food web demonstrates interconnection and interdependency between and among the sun, trees, plants, animals, and decomposers.

• Discuss what would happen if the Great Kapok tree were cut down: ties to article: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0126-big_trees.html

• Discuss how all life is interconnected and interdependent.

• Finally, students can take their cards off and draw the food web they

just experienced as a class on the backside of their cards. Students can use arrows to demonstrate the movement of energy from one source to another. For example, from the sun to the tree, the arrow points toward the tree. From the plants to the herbivores, the arrow points toward the herbivores, etc. You may want to demonstrate this on the board with them.